Abstract

                Protagonists in video games represented as ‘blank-slate’ characters allow for games to appeal to larger audiences by offering a flat, hero character that enters new realms, completes quests driven by a narrative that loosely follows the structure of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. These characters become heroes and have a quest or quests to complete before the game ends.  Two popular examples would be The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon games series; they each feature a protagonist who has no definite features from game to game, doesn’t speak at all, and can be named by the player. The character’s personal narratives seem to be driven by the story to become heroes and there is nearly the same amount of deviation possible for both protagonist characters within the quest and the characters story and what the gamer can or can’t do. Everything is pre-scripted for play, and (in these examples) driven by well-written narrative in creative environments, where the player gets to ‘fill-in the blanks’ left by the developers in creation of the characters. A hero tale that is ambiguous is a relatable one.







Edit 12:07AM This is a rough draft. I did not recieve an e-mail with information regarding this assignment. Just wanted to turn something in by 12, that basically encompasses what I plan to research.